Betty Jo Putnam Carpenter

BETTY JO PUTNAM CARPENTER
RUTHERFORDTON- Betty Jo Putnam Carpenter, 86, of Rutherfordton, N.C., went home to be with Her Lord and Savior on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. Betty Jo was born on March 21, 1928, in Shelby, N.C., to Clyde George Putnam and Elizabeth Julian Cantrell Putnam. Betty Jo married Robert Edgar Carpenter, Jr., her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, in 1950. She and Ed celebrated 63 wonderful years together before his death in February of 2013. They were blessed with 3 children: Robert Edgar Carpenter, III, of Rutherfordton, Margaret Elizabeth Carpenter Mason (Mike) of Forest City, and John Joseph Carpenter (Beth) of Charlotte, NC. They adored their six granddaughters: Elizabeth Jo Mason Ervin(Wayne) of Colombia, S.C., Maggie Mason Jones(Nick) of Forest City, Carey Carpenter of Kampala, Uganda, Laura Carpenter of Atlanta, Ga., Emily Carpenter of Clemson, S.C., and Mary Jordan Carpenter of Charlotte, NC. The newest blessings in her life were her 3 great-grandchildren: Jacob and Eli Jones of Forest City, and Esther Ervin of Columbia, S.C.
Betty Jo was the middle of 7 children who included Marjorie, Ruth, Clyde, Jr., Betty Jo, Frank, Eddie, and Suzanne. Growing up in such a large household, Betty Jo's childhood was full of fond memories and lots of involvement at Zoar Baptist Church, where her family was active. Betty Jo's lifelong love of singing, and music in general got its start in the Zoar community. It was at Zoar where she sang her first church solo at age 3 (I shall Not Be Moved) and where, at age 13, she sang for her sister Ruth's wedding. As a child, Betty Jo would carry fresh buttermilk across her father's cotton fields to Miss Gertrude Street in exchange for piano lessons.
Each July during "laying by time," when the cotton was too high to plow or hoe, Zoar would conduct one week of morning and evening singing school continued the next week by morning and evening church services called The Big Meeting. During this time, in July 1937, Betty Jo was baptized across the road from Zoar Baptist in the spring-fed baptismal pool which was cleared out each July for this purpose. Betty Jo always remembered the water was very cold, and that the temptation of the water was too much for the boys of the Zoar Community who used this water for swimming that afternoon.
Betty Jo spent her entire life impacting the musical community and bringing the joy of her voice to many. In addition to singing for countless church services, weddings and funerals throughout her life, Betty Jo shared her musical talents in the schools she attended. She and her brother Clyde, Jr., had the leading roles in The Forest Prince at Shelby Junior High. After graduating from Shelby High School, she attended Converse College, receiving a degree in voice and public school music.
She began her career teaching music in the public schools, starting at Concord's Winecoff School (grades 1-12), where she organized the school's first May Day celebration, including the May Pole. She then taught music at Rutherfordton Elementary School, Oakland School, Ruth School, and led the RS Central and Cool Springs glee clubs. Betty Jo was hired to start the music department at Isothermal Community College(ICC), then proudly called UCLA(Upper Caroleen Lower Avondale). She organized the college singers in 1967, led the chorus, helped originate the Fine Arts Committee, taught music classes and served on the faculty at ICC until 1972. She presented the first faculty recital in 1969. In the community, Betty Jo participated in several music clubs, and helped charter the Bertha Bostic Music Club. She was active in the North Carolina Federation of Music Clubs, where she served as the State Music Chairman of Music Clubs, and was honored for distinguished service to the cultural, musical, and artistic life of North Carolina. She also served as president and vice president of the Gamma Beta Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, serving two terms as State Music chairman. In the early 1980's, she started The Sounds of Christmas at St. John's Church in Rutherforton.
As a musician, Betty Jo performed with the Rutherford County Chamber Singers as well as the Rutherford County Chorus. She served as president of the Symphony of Rutherford County for twenty years. She served on the Board of Directors for both the Symphony and the Rutherford County Community Concerts.
After moving to Forest city as a newlywed in 1950, she was active at First Baptist of Forest City for over 60 years, where she served as Minister of Music, led six children choirs, served as choir member, soloist, WMU director, G.A. teacher and director, Sunday school teacher for all grade levels, church historian, and for the last ten years as teacher of her beloved Friendship Sunday School class. Recently, she led the singing once a month for First Baptist's ministry to Carolina House. In the early 1960's, she led the children's music program at Forest City Presbyterian Church.
Betty Jo ALWAYS had time for family and friends. Her six granddaughters recall many special memories with MaMa: long mystery walks, enjoying high tea, cooking anything and everything, playing in sprinklers on hot summer days, and MaMa always being available for spontaneous fun and adventures. She would attend their classes for historical singing, and loved to help with family history school projects. She had the amazing ability to prepare three home-cooked meals a day for her family and friends all of her life. Her motto for meals was "There is always room for one more!" Betty Jo was always the last to leave church or any event because she loved to see and talk to everyone. She never met a stranger. Betty Jo's constant smile showed her love of life and the Lord, and her eyes sparkled with joy that kept her "singing all day long."
Betty Jo's hobbies included gardening, writing, traveling, family genealogy, and historic preservation. She was honored by the Rutherford County Historical Society for her contributions to historical preservation in the county. In recognition of all of her leadership and involvement over the years, Converse College honored Betty Jo with a Career Achievement Award in 1999, and this past spring named her as one of their Top 125 Alumnae. Betty Jo is survived by her three children, six granddaughters, two great-grandsons, one great-granddaughter, her sister Suzanne Kiser of Bessemer City, and two brothers-in-law, Melvin Kiser of Bessemer City, and John P. Carpenter(Linda) of Seven Lakes, N.C.
The family would like to give special thanks to Faye Street, Crystal Cooper, Mitze Snipes, Sandy Jeffords, Norma Eubanks, and the staff at Hospice of Rutherford County for their special care and love.

Funeral Service: A celebration of Betty Jo's life will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2014, at First Baptist Church of Forest City, N.C.
Friends and family are invited to meet with the family prior to the service from 1:30 to 2:45 in the fellowship hall.
Funeral Home: The Padgett and King Mortuary is serving the family.
Online Condolences: www.padgettking.com